Back in 2008, I met a fellow bicycle tourist on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route named Scott Felter . I met a lot of people on that trip, and I didn’t recall much about our encounter until recently. My friend Cass Gilbert went up to Victoria, BC a few months ago to get some bags made and mentioned to me that Scott, the owner of Porcelain Rocket had met me on that trip. I got in touch with him, went back and forth a bit, and eventually ordered up some bags.
I’ve been using Carousel Design Works bags for the last couple of years, and while they are designed well and built to last, I found that mine weren’t quite big enough for my current needs. The front bag especially didn’t have quite a big enough diameter to fit my sleeping bag easily, and it’s one of the more compressible bags from Western Mountaineering. I mentioned this to Scott, and he made sure that my new bag would be plenty big enough.
Scott’s handlebar bag comes with the removable front pocket pictured, which is handy for things like a camera, snacks and miscellaneous items that need to be accessed quickly. The main bag is accessible from either side via the roll closure, a feature also shared with Carousel bags.
The front bag attaches with three velcro straps to the handlebar and steer tube or head tube of the bike.
The seat bag is robust, with stronger materials sewn into areas with more potential for abrasion. There is an internal stiffener to give the bag shape at the bottom, and compression straps keep varying sized loads secure.
A bungee cord underneath the bag secures additional items like wet gloves or maybe some sandals.
I’ve looked closely at these bags and have done some test packing and first impressions are solid. Attention to detail is high, and I’m looking forward to putting these through their paces. Incidentally, Cass wrote this post about his visit to Canada to see Scott, it’s worth checking out.
hey daniel –
how was the great divide trip? i’ve been thinking about doing that route, but i’m not sure i have the right setup. does it definitely require a mountain bike (or at least a bike with knobbies)? also, i’m curious about the climbs, etc. is it a particularly steep ride? i know it’s 2500 miles, but you know, in general…
thanks!
Hi Eli,
The GDR was a great learning experience, and the longest trip I’ve done so far. The route can be done with just about any setup that has low gears and wide tires. I used racks and panniers on my trip, but other people used trailers, and if I were going back to do it again I’d probably just use frame bags. Most of the route is non-technical, but there is a lot of climbing! It will definitely whip you into good climbing shape quick.
Let me know if you have any other questions!